Since he’s already penned readable, funny volumes on the supeheroes of yore and their foes, it was only a matter of time before Jon Morris got around to chronicling the history of second bananas.

His latest is The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, in which he gives supporting characters the now-familiar Morris treatment.

The genius of this series is that the blogger/historian has never encountered a weird comic-book character he didn’t feel affection for, and in this colourful, 254-page book he introduces the likes of Freckles, Pook and Midge to modern pop-culture aficionados.

As in his previous two histories, Morris gives short, cheeky biographies for each forgotten B-lister.

Did you know there was once a junior hero named Fatman? No, Fatman was not the partner Batman had before Robin, but stood alongside Mr. America, a DC crime-fighter from 1938. Donning a lampshade for a helmet and a flowered green curtain for a cape, Bob (Fatman) Daley becomes “a finger in the arm of the law.”

What I love about Morris is his contagious enthusiasm for heroes who have not stood the test of time. Forget the likes of Kid Flash, who grew up to become a hero in his own right, Morris is here to sing the praises of Bumper, Butch and Loco, do-gooders you have probably never heard of.

What fascinates Morris are the heroes and comic creators who didn’t have enough staying power to make anything but a superficial impression on the collective imagination.

In the process, Morris has accumulated a mass of interesting factoids. Did you know Algie, sidekick to Barry Kuda, predates Aqualad by 20 years? Did you know Spider Widow is one of the few heroines to have a male sidekick — a la Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor?

If you have a birthday or other occasion coming up in the new year, The League of Regrettable Sidekicks is the perfect gift for the comic fan in your life.